As we reported earlier this week, Oppo was planning to launch two new smartphones today, the 5.9-inch U3 with a MediaTek MT6572 SoC and the 5-inch R1C with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 615. However, only the latter was unveiled today, with the release date of the U3 now changed to "soon". Meanwhile, here is the officially confirmed list of Oppo R1C's specifications:

Colors: white with a gold frame or blue with a silver frame, sapphire glass back with diamond pattern

The smartphone's speakers are positioned on its bottom edge, and physical Android keys are found below the display, which is becoming a rarity nowadays thanks to Google's Android design guidelines for manufacturers suggesting the use of virtual Android keys instead. While the thin frame definitely looks attractive, we are hoping that it doesn't negatively affect the stability of the case. We won't find out for ourselves until Oppo brings the device to the US or Europe, which will most likely happen at some point, as it was the case with some of the company's previous smartphones.

The announced price, however, is a little steep: $400 is hard to justify even with a premium glass back, considering the rest of the specs. The sales will begin on January 20 in China though Oppo's online store, but bidding on the smartphone is already offerred by Oppo.